Door-guiding device.



R. T. SENTER.

DOOR GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 9, 1912.

1,1 17,918. Patented No1/.17, 1914.

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RALPH T. SENTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NEARSIDE CAR COMPANY, OF `NEIN YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DOOR-GUIDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914:.

Application led December 9, 1912. Serial No. 735,686.

This invention relates to a locking de-V vice for doors and thelike andis designed more particularly for use in connection with doors of streetcars, in which the free edges of the doors move in a line parallel orsubstantially parallel with the doorway, to hold the edges of the dooragainst lateral displacement.

The object of the invention is to provide a locking device of thischaracter which will be of sucha construction and so arranged that itwill offer no obstruction to the passage of persons through the doorwayand will not be liable to catch the clothing of such persons; which willbe of such a con struction as to cause the door to accurately close; andwhich will edectually .prevent the lateral displacement and rattling ofthe door.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse section of theforward portion of a street car showing the platform in plan view withmy invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of theinvention showing one of the doors partly open.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of the invention andhave shown the same applied to a street car having both the entrance andexit passageways at the forward end of the car, as fully shown anddescribed in my pending applica- 'l tion for patent on passenger car,filed July l5, 1911. Ser. No. 638,635, but it will be nnderstood thatthis particular car and this particular type of door are used for thepurpose of illustration only and that the invention is applicable todoors of various kinds and that the doors may be arranged invariousparts of the car or other structure.

The front platform of the car as here illustrated is indicated at l andis provided at its right hand side with a doorway divided into twopassageways 2 and 3, respectively, by means of a barrier having avertical portion 4 arranged at the doorway and constituting a post whichdivides the doorway into two passageways. These two passageways arecontrolled by separate doors 5 and 6 and, in the present instance.,`

these doors are folding doors of the well known doubledoor type. A doorof this type comprises two sections hinged together at their adjacentedges, the outer edge of one section of the door being pivotally mountedat the adjacent edge of the doorway and the outer edge of the othersection of the doorway being guided in such a man` ner that it will movein a fixed path when the door is opened or closed. Preferably, themanipulation ofthe door is accomplished by rigidly securing the edge ofthe one section to a vertical shaft 7 mounted at the edge of the doorwayand having a crank arm 8 connected to a rod 9 which may be manipulatedby the motorman or other oilicial on the car. Vhen the shaft 7 isrotated the section of the door which is rigidly secured thereto will bemoved outward and inasmuch as the inner section is hinged to the outersection and has its free edge guided in a fixed path it will be obviousthat the inner section will be folded upon the outer section and bothwill be moved to one side of the doorway. This construction is a wellknown one and need not be here shown or described in detail.

Inasmuch as each door is controlled from its outer or hinged edge andthe guide for the inner edge thereof is at the top of the door, where itwill be out of the way of persons passing through the doorway it isdesirable that some means should be pro` vided for locking the inneredge of the door, and particularly the lower portion thereof, in itsclosed position. Further, it is desirable that this means should be suchas to cause the lower edge of the door to move accurately into itsclosed position, thus preventing the coperatiiig locking parts fromcoming into abnormal engagement and preventing the proper closing of thedoor. To accomplish this result I haveprovided each of the doublefolding doors 5 and 6 with a bracket 10 which, in the present instance,is in the form of a socket rigidly secured to the inner side of the doornear the bottom thereof and having one wall, 11, arranged at an angle tothe door and to the path in which'the inner edge of the door moves.Iigidly secured to a part other than the door and supported in the pathin which the bracket will travel when `the door is moved to its closedposition is a block l12 having one edge arranged at an angle to the lineof movement ofthe edge of the door and adapted to engage the bracket andcoperate therewith to move the door into its closed position and holdthe same against lateral displacement.

In the present arrangement of they parts the` socket and the block areboth tapered. A. single block is preferably employed for both doors andthis block is here shown as substantially oval in shape and as formingthe base for the post or vertical member 4 of the barrier to which it isrigidly secured. 'Ihe opposite end portions of this block converge awayfrom the post to impart the proper angle to the inner 'edges thereofwhich coperate with the inner walls of the brackets l0. It will beapparent, therefore, that when one of the doors is moved toward itsclosed position the tapered end of the corresponding block will enterthe wide end of the socket. rIhe width of the open end of the socket-orbracket is such that iio ordinary displacement of the lower edge of thedoor will prevent the end of the block from entering the socket. Thefurthermovement of the door toward its closed position will cause thecoperating surfaces of this block and the socket to force the door intoits proper closed position and these parts will hold the door againstlateral displacement and will prevent the'same from rattling. Further,the block is arranged in such a position and is of such a size and shapethat there is little or no possibility of its oifering an obstructionover which a person pass-l ing through the doorway might trip or of itscatching the clothes of persons passing through the doorway. Further, itis of a simple, inexpensive construction and is very strong.

Vl/Yhile I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention itwill be understood that this has been chosen for the Y 4sition..

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a structure havl 'ing a floor, a doorway at oneedge of said floor and a door for said doorway, of'a door-guiding devicecomprising a tapered block rigidly secured to said-floor near the.

edge of said door, when the latter is in its closed position, and havinga smooth exterior surface without projecting parts, and a recessedbracket carried by said door and arranged near the edge thereof toengagek said block when said door is moved to its closed position, saidbracket having one wall arranged obliquely to the line of movement ofsaid door to engage the tapered surface of said block and draw said doorsnugly to its closed position and retain it in said position.-

2. The combination with a structure having a door, a doorway near oneedge of said floor, and a door for saiddoorway,

comprising two members adapted to fold one upon the other when thedooris moved to its open position, of a guiding device for said doorcomprisingv a block rigidly secured to said floor near the edge of said1 door, when the latter is in its closed position, and a bracket securedto that side thereof which is folded inward when the door is in its openposition, said bracket bein0F ada ated to enafre said block when C C Csaid door is moved to lits closed position.

3. The combination with a structure having a floor, a doorway, a post'todivide said doorway into two passages, and a door to close each of saidpassages, each of said' doors, having its free edge movable towardandaway from said post, of a tapered block secured to said floor at thebase of said post, brackets carried by the respective doors and saidblock when said doors are moved toward their closed positions. Y

4. The combination with a structure having a ioor, a doorway kat oneedge of said floor, a post to divide said doorway into arranged toengage the respective ends of. 'i

the base of said post and having its lateral when said brackets aremoved into engageedges converging away from said posts on ment With saidblock. 10 both sides thereof and brackets carried by In testimonyWhereof,1 aiiix my signature the respective doors, and each having a inpresence of two Witnesses.

Wall arranged obliquely to the line of move- RALPH T. SENTER. ment ofits bracket, and adapted to cop- `Witnessesz erate with the edges ofsaid block to draw HOWARD F. ESSAY,

said doors snugly to their closed positions ALFRED PFLUEGER.

Copies of this patent nay be obtuine for uve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

i Washingtoml). C."

